All About The Anorexic Experiment Part 4

I’ve been starting to receive this question about my new book: Have I (Angela Bacon Grimm) ever struggled with an eating disorder?

No, I have not. I did my best to portray those with eating disorders accurately in my book, The Anorexic Experiment, based on research and talking with those who have experienced eating disorders. Despite not having an eating disorder, I do feel like I can relate to Aimee (my main character) a tiny bit through the concept of restriction. I’m going to put a disclaimer on this statement that I do realize what I am about to say is not the same thing as an eating disorder, but it’s the only way I can relate to those who have experienced one.

As a child, I had food allergies to corn, wheat, and dairy. They weren’t life-threatening, but prior to eliminating these foods, I had a rash in patches on various locations of my body, ranging from my legs all the way up to my face. Through a careful diet and regular, frequent visits to a kinesiologist, my rash was eliminated. As an adult, I still struggle a little with a rash from those foods, but it is not nearly as severe as when I was a child; so I do eat these foods in moderation. In elementary school, when I had to be super restrictive about what I consumed because of my allergies, I sometimes felt left out when I watched what other kids ate. It was the most bothersome at events like birthday parties, when I would bring things to eat like rice crackers and juice boxes while other kids were eating cake. So, in that small way, I can identify with those struggling with anorexia–you feel like there are foods you can’t eat, and you just don’t feel like you’re “normal” in regards to food. I do realize that this is not at all the same thing as an eating disorder; this is just my EXTREMELY small way of trying to relate.